Laser Tag!!!

Grace
Kalen's off to go dancing with the undead. And Grace wasn't invited to his little soiree, so she gets to chew her nails at home, and hope that Kalen's people-sense is up to the task.

There's nothing like doing things to make you forget about what you can't change, right? So she sends off a message to Jo. No need to bend the universe's ear this time -- she lets her devices do that instead.

Jo. Want to come see my lasers and shit? We can try out the arena.

And then, there follows an address. The Office.

Jo Hamilton
It's that time of the semester when people like Jo get a little extra time off. She could go home, spend time with her fam fam, but it wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as staring at her computer for days on end, doing gaming tournaments and eating cheetos. Really, can life be any better than that?

She's damn near neck-deep in the interwebs, beating some poor souls in the simplistic game of League of Legends (oh come on, a girl like her can figure out the exact method of winning, it's not really that much fun anymore...except to hear them btich), when she gets a text from the ever-lovely Grace.

She has a choice. Of course it would be the illusion of choice. Maybe she doesn't really HAVE a choice, but has to simply follow the program. Alright Neo, settle down. Regardless, when Grace sends out a message, Jo isn't one to decline. At a whopping 52 degrees, she dresses in a long sleeve with a red shirt over it sporting the 'What's your SINE?' and a nifty little graph.

She doesn't have a car. Jo rides her bicycle, all the way from campus to the little ol.. eerrr.. that place that Grace keeps her toys in. "Dude..." She sets her bike off to the side and adjusts her backpack as she makes her way to whatever door seems most likely to house someone alive, gives a very firm knock. "Yooooo!"

Grace
[Awareness!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 2, 7, 9) ( success x 2 )

Grace
It's almost like Grace just knew. The knock happens, and the door opens like that, and Jo is yoooing at Grace's face.

"Jo. Hi. Come in. Do you want some coffee? I have some, and like, a whole platter of things to put in it."

And then, Grace turns and jaunts down the hallway to the kitchen, because she wants some coffee. And to Hell with, you know, actually letting the other person say hi back, or say yes to the coffee first.

"We also have food!" she yells to the ceiling.

Jo Hamilton
"Dude! Coffee! Like yeah, I'd totally hit that!" It's like meeting old friends that you crash on their couch and play mario kart with. That's how she acts anyway. Totally not a knew place right? Nope. Doesn't feel it anyway.

"Oh yeah! I'm a food monster! Whatcha got? The good stuff right? Like, you don't strike me as like the person who to be eatin like celery and stuff."

Grace
"There is some noodles that nobody touched, which is a shame 'cause it's sesame. And hummus. Also you can put some fajita steak in the hummus, which sounds weird, but trust me?"

The kitchen, when they get there, is not so full of expensive utensils as you might expect. None of the current residents are quite so much cooking geniuses. All that food Grace was talking about comes out of the fridge in boxes and styrofoam containers. Apparently, the only thing anyone cares to actually make around here is coffee, which is fresh French pressed and in a carafe on the counter.

The coffee bar area? Now that is a thing of beauty. There's caramels, and rock-candy stirrers, marshmallows, and in addition to all the little boxes from the fridge, Grace pulls out a dainty little thing of cream.

"After food, I'll show you the lasers. Or we could food later and laser now. I care not."

She takes her boxes and sets them on the counter for Jo to peruse, then takes her cream and goes off to prepare her coffee. Grace's coffee contains a lump of caramel and a candy stirrer and cream by the time she's done. Someone likes a little caffeine with her sugar.

Jo Hamilton
Jo is about to contract diabetes.

She knew this day would come. It was foretold by the men in white coats with clipboards and frowns on their faces. And before diabetes? Cavities.

Jo was going to become an overnight legend.

There is food, and coffee, and things to put in coffee that would make the original coffee process obsolete. Jo was about to get creative.

The first thing that one must do is procure the nectar of life. Though it's not so much coffee as it is candy with a dash of coffee. The heat will turn the candy into liquid - and so she shall consume it in the fastest way possible short of an IV.

LET THE SUGAR HIGH COMMENCE!

And food? Jo has remained skinny thanks to the power of genetics, otherwise she'd be the size of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Coffee. Food (one of everything, at least, with fajitas in hummus as suggested).

By the time Grace suggests many ways in which they can go about lasers and food, Jo is already stuffing her face with something...noodles? fajitas? Hummus? Whatever else was laying around? Didn't matter. She was a chipmunk.

After an almost painful swallow, she sticks her tongue out and grins. "Food. Coffee. Lasers. Or Food/Coffee while looking at Lasers. Or operating like the lasers with your feet while you eat. Cause that's how we roll yo."

Grace
This was an inspired idea, Grace thinks, as she sips her coffee. If anything, Jo is a fantastic diversion. Hopefully, all this will fill up the tanks, after Jo's long ride.

"Foot. Lasers. I'm going to have to figure that one out."

She sips coffee, and giggles at Jo and her chimpmunking. Grace has already eaten, and thus consoles herself by filling her cup again when it empties.

"Thanks for coming over. I needed a distraction."

Jo Hamilton
Grace is almost confusing in the proclamation that she needed a distraction. Jo even pauses, in the midst of slurping up some noodle like from a cup of Ramen, only to slurp it the rest of the way.

"Dude. Like, we have got to get you like some kind of extra hobby cause like, before here? I was whippin some kids in League. I mean, not like it's hard or nuthin, but then there'd be COD, or like Elder Scrolls online, or like, FF 14 or something. I mean like, really? We totes gotta get you something to lose yourself in." Her lips curl up into a wide grin and Jo bothers to pick up a noodle and flick it at Grace. "Seriously."

Grace
Grace rolls her eyes over her coffee. "I have games. What do you think, I'm the one computer scientist in the world without a Steam subscription?"

She jumps up on the counter and dangles her feet off, just in case you might have gotten the impression that Grace was one for formality.

"Just, you know, I tried Civilization, and then I tried listening to the walls, and I just couldn't get my brain to stop. It does that sometimes."

Listening to the walls. Yes. Okay then...

Jo Hamilton
"Sudoku?"

Jo gulps her coffee sugar, sliding her tongue along ehr lips to get the residual off. "Did you like try Sudoku? Cause like, if ya got like craaaazy thoughts comin in and you're all 'OH MY GOD GET 'EM OUT' I do Sudoku, or like, chess? I mean like you can totes play chess online with people now. Like WOAH. Wouldn't do that whole like scrabble thing. People be cheaters and stuff."

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan Civi is so dull. I mean like, you beat it once and like.. it's old school. Computers suck. But like the wall problem? Like man..that's all shrink talk there. I mean if you're like talkin to walls and stuff? Kinda weird."

Grace
She rolls her eyes again. "I wsn't talking to walls, I was listening to them. There is a huge difference."

Grace sips coffee, ponders how to put it.

"Like, I see the universe as made up of data. Data can take many forms, right? Like a table or a chair or a wall. But you know, you can take that same binary code and display it as something totally different. Like sound or light or a puppy or whatever. I haven't figured out the puppy yet. Gimme time."

Jo Hamilton
"Well, sure but like, the forms we know of aren't the real form of the universe it's just like, the simplistic form that like people have figured out. I mean if we really like understood the data the universe was like giving out, we'd be in like complete control casue we could like manipulate it and stuff."

"But like why would you like want to listen to walls? I mean like why are you like trying to hear when you can like read? And then like...I mean walls don't really have like a voice or a real program. It's like the walls in a video game. They're just spatial information. Like if you want to listen to something, you listen to the sosftware running in the space."

Grace
"Something to do. And because it sounds pretty," Grace says. Sips coffee. Wonders what coffee sounds like. Probably more exciting, because it's hotter.

"I do know something of the data the universe gives out, Jo."

Jo Hamilton
Jo quirks her brows, squints her face and gives the most obvious 'HUH' look ever. "Duuude you are like super weird! Listening to walls and stuff. That like, bored huh? No like peeps to chill with or nuthin? I mean you got like friends and stuff cause like I met them and all, and they all seem pretty like hip and stff.."

Grace
"Yeah, I have friends! That's why I invited you! You are a friend. Therefore, you are invited to come mess around with my lasers."

So yeah, Jo. You're currently under the Friends list of Grace's social network.

"Really, even if you weren't my friend, you could come mess around with my lasers. It's a community thing. Fun, but educational too."

She nods at Jo to punctuate her point.

Jo Hamilton
"Well PFT yeah. Like I'm everyone's friend. But like I meant like not ME but like other people. I mean like, super cool I got to visit but like I mean gotta have like other weirdos to like shoot lasers with!" She moved to put her dishes in the sink, which meant hopping up with a bit too much energy. "Right so lasers! SHow. me. the laseers!"

Grace
With that, Grace slides off the counter, and hops to, lanky legs taking her in a none-too-graceful walk to the Arena. Jo might have gotten the impression that this place was a strange mix of styles. From the outside, it looks like nothing special. On the inside, the furnishings are lush, and the walls colorful. But in those areas with a more Grace-like function, function is the rule of the day. Kalen's left the decoration of their laser-tag arena to Grace, which means?

There's a panel of black shiny buttons on the side of the wall here. They're labeled with a label-maker. Lights, fog, ultraviolet, START, what looks like a timer knob... Beside the panel are a line of coathooks with coats (all rather nice, because Kalen was responsible for these. Some of them were his, before Grace got her hands on them). Beyond the coats, some fancy-modded Nerf guns. They have visible wires sticking out.

And the arena itself? Armed with laser turrets on robot arms that hang from the ceiling, it is a grey and black landscape. Mirrors dot the area in strategic locations, so one can see around corners if they wish. There's also a few mirrors hanging at angles from the ceiling.

Grace smiles ear-to-ear when she shows this room off with a wave of the arm. "Lasers!"

Jo Hamilton
There is very little that Jo can say, if anything, except "WOW." She just blinks, keeps still and holds out her hands. "OH. PARADISE. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Jo slides to her feet and wraps her arms around Grace's leg, holding on tightly. "I... I think I love you."

Grace
"See? You were the right one to call. I needed someone who would appreciate the awesomeness," Grace says, and dons a light coat. It's tricked out in the same way that her usual red number is -- black lines of plastic run across the seams, dotted with LEDs to flash upon being hit.

Her favorite gun is a small one. After all, we're fighting with lasers, not bullets. There is no extra power to be had in a bigger gun. But it's a sci-fi looking thing, with a huge handle.

Jo Hamilton
She climbs herself up, making a mock 'dusting' motion. "So like, we going to like do things like with it caue I mean, like.. lasers!" She rocked on her heels. "Like..another coat thingie?"

Grace
"Yeah! Take one. And a gun. And then I will hit the start button. And then we go hide and chase each other!"

Grace is excited. She puts her coffee cup down by the wall and waits.

Jo Hamilton
That was exciting. Jo grabbed a vest and threw it on, with the gun not far behind. She bounces in place. "Ready? Ready? Let's go!" She only needed the opportunity to run off to do so. So long as she could hide, she was already on her way! Laser tag!

Grace
Grace's eyes alight with glee, and she hits the lights and the fog and the blacklights and the START. It's on.

Both coats light up. Blue for Grace and green for Jo, and just yet, their guns don't work.

"30 seconds! Go!"

And with that, Grace slips into the maze.

[Dex + Stealth = 5, Arcane mitigated by the fact that she's got lights on...]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 6, 9, 9) ( success x 3 )

Jo Hamilton
[perc + alert]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) ( success x 1 )

Jo Hamilton
dex + stealth +1 dif for no friggin stealth]

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (8, 10) ( success x 2 )

Grace
[Perc + Alert = I see you!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 5, 6, 8, 8) ( success x 3 )

Jo Hamilton
Jo had no idea where Grace was. The girl was good at slipping around out of sight and hearing. She played enough COD to know that she should press against walls, slink along slowly and peek around corners. So really, Jo wasn't quite as inept as she might have thought she was.

She leaned around a corner to peek for Grace. Where WAS she?

Grace
It's all fun and games, until Grace turns into a stealthy monster. If she weren't wearing lights all over her, there's a chance Jo would never ever see her coming. When it comes to sneaking, she's surprisingly good.

When it comes to shooting? Not so much. But she catches the sight of green lights on the ceiling and aims for that mirror...

[Dex + Firearms = pew pew lasers]

Dice: 4 d10 TN6 (2, 5, 5, 7) ( success x 1 )

Grace
And thus, does Jo's coat buzz and blink red. Grace breaks her stealth to yell out a "Yeah! It worked!"

Jo Hamilton
"Ah! W.T.F. man. Like.. what the floozle!?" She pursed her lips, squinted her eyes. "It's not over!" She would have even waved her weapon if she thought Grace could see her. "I'mma get you! I'm Solid Snake!"

Grace
"Get yer orange box ready," replies a disembodied voice. It's somewhere over... that direction, Jo!

Jo Hamilton
stealth!

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (3, 5) ( fail )

Jo Hamilton
If Jo is Solid Snake, then she's Solid Snake on drugs. Or maybe she forgot her box somewhere.  Can't hide without your box. She squeaks around the place, peeking a bit too far around the corners.

Grace
[Perc + Alert = I see you!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 2, 4, 6) ( success x 1 )

Grace
Grace stalks through the maze loudly, because hey, she's already scored a point. It's time to... What was that? A face behind that wall? She trounces over.

Jo Hamilton
Trouncing. Jo's eyes widen and she breaks off in a run to find a place to hide before Grace can get after her. "Nooo! "

Grace
There's a reason why Kalen refers to her as Kit. She reminded him of a fox, wary but still predatory. And now, with her wings, she is reminiscent of a falcon. Jo has little chance when Grace turns to gleeful play.

She's spotted, again, but before Grace can get a good shot, the maze interferes.

"Yeeees!"

Jo Hamilton
[stealth]

Dice: 2 d10 TN7 (4, 8) ( success x 1 )

Jo Hamilton
Jo rolls on the ground, crawling in an attempt to slide out of view. At the very least, she wasn't tromping everywhere or running into things.

Grace
[Perc + Alert!]

Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 1, 1, 2, 3) ( botch x 3 )

Grace
Grace is on a hunt, yes, but eventually her sharp eyes betray her. She certainly doesn't expect to see Jo on the ground. That might be super obvious when she steps right on top of poor Jo, ending up tripping all over herself and dropping the gun.

"Oh fuck!"

Solid Snake indeed...

Jo Hamilton
Jo let's out a yelp, though it's more like a loud grunt, and as Grace topples over, tries her best to wiggle. Ah but now she has a Grace somewhat on top of her. The bonus?

She can totally tag her with the gun, at point blank range. Oh yeah.